Sociolect theorists Flashcards
What was Ives’ study?
BAE in Bradford
What did Ives explore?
The use of code switching in 8 teenage boys
What were the two main responses as to why the boys code switched in the Bradford study?
- Because they didn’t want people to understand what they were saying (to exclude)
- Because they wanted to separate themselves from “freshies”
Who are “freshies”?
People who were born in Pakistan but then moved to England
What does Ives say language depended on?
Postcode
What words were used the most in the school in Bradford?
Taboo lexis and Punjabi, often a mix of the two
What were the 4 influences on the teen’s language in Ives’ study?
- Pop culture
- The area/postcode
- Being born in England
- Age
What does language do to society and identity?
Language shapes and reflects society and identity
Where was Cheshire’s study and what group of people did it surround?
- Reading
- Teens
What did 2 things did Cheshire explore?
Peer group culture and the use of non standard forms
In the Reading study, who was more likely to use non standard forms?
Boys who agreed with criminal behaviour
What does Cheshire’s study suggest about dialect variation?
Dialect variation is a conscious choice
Where was Kerswill’s study and what group of people did it surround?
- Milton Keynes
- Teens
Why did Kerswill choose Milton Keynes?
- New town, so lots of dialect mixing
What did Kerswill find in parents and children?
- Lots of language variation in parents
- Less language variation in children
What is dialect levelling and who created this concept?
- When dialects mix and eventually become less distinguished
- Kerswill
Where was McCafferty’s study and what group of people did it surround?
- Londonderry
- Catholics/Protestants
How did McCafferty describe ethnicity?
Ethnicity = religion
What accent did Catholics and Protestants prefer in the Londonderry study?
They preferred Northern Irish to RP
What accent did Middle and Working class Catholics prefer?
They preferred Londonderry’s non standard forms
What accent did Middle class Protestants prefer?
They preferred Northern Irish non standard forms
Quote Macaulay
“The accent of the lowest state of Glaswegian is the ugliest… it is associated with the unwashed and the violent”
What did Macaulay find?
That the use of glottal stops decreased with age
What was the usage of glottal stops by the female upper class at 15 years old compared to adulthood?
- 93% at 15
- 60% at adulthood
What did Petyt explore and where?
“h” dropping in Bradford
what did Petyt find surrounding Vertical Mobility?
People adjusted to an RP accent
How many people in the working class “h” dropped, according to Petyt?
93%
How many people in the upper middle class “h” dropped, according to Petyt?
12%
What did Trudgill explore and where?
“g” dropping in Norwich
Who dropped their “g” the most in Trudgill’s study/
Men and lower social classes
What did Trudgill find about what women and men say about their usage of standard forms?
- Women; said they used standard forms more than they actually did (overt prestige)
- Men; said they used non-standard forms more than they actually did (covert prestige)
Where did Milroy and Milroy carry out their study and with whom?
- Belfast
- Working class speakers
What did Milroy say a high social network means?
There is a higher usage of non standard forms
What did Milroy and Milroy say about close knit networks?
Close knit networks are important as they promote solidarity and identity
What was found in unemployed men in Clonard? (Milroy and Milroy)
They were forced to look for work and did more domestic chores
What was found in women in Clonard? (Milroy and Milroy)
They worked together and had a dense social network
What was found surrounding the gender roles in Clonard?
They were blurred
What did Bernstein explore?
Elaborated and Restricted code
What did Bernstein find in the working class?
They only used restricted code
What did Bernstein said schools do?
They use elaborate code in textbooks which puts the working class at a disadvantage
Who did Danzig critique and what did he have to say?
- Bernstein
- Said that his theory reflected a deficit model
What was Giles’ theory called?
The Matched Guise Test
What kind of people were included in the Matched Guise Test?
Bi-dialectal people
What were the attitudes towards RP speakers?
- Highly educated
- Lacked social attributes
What were the attitudes towards national accents?
They were favoured in the middle
What were the attitudes towards regional accents, specifically the Brummie accent?
- Least imposing
- Less convincing
- Least attractive
- Rated below silence for intelligence
What did Labov explore in NYC?
The Rhotic R/postvocalic “r”
What is the Rhotic R seen as in the UK and the US?
Prestigious in the US, less prestigious in the UK
What were the 3 shops examined in Labov’s NYC study and what class were they?
- Saks; upper class
- Macy’s; middle class
- Klein’s; working class
Which shop used the Rhotic R without fail?
Saks
What happened with Macy’s surrounding the Rhotic R?
There was an upwards shift when asked to repeat
What was found in Klein’s?
They used the Rhotic R the least
What did Labov explore in his Martha’s Vineyard Study?
- Fishermen and their use of vowel sounds
How many visitors does Martha’s Vineyard get every summer?
40’000
What is Martha’s Vineyard known for?
Their fishing industry
What did the Fishermen do in Martha’s Vineyard?
They subconsciously changed vowel sounds in order to distance themselves from visitors (diverging)
Why did the fishermen in Martha’s Vineyard diverge their language?
- To seek solidarity
- To seek covert prestige
- To express their identity
